Maafa: Remember
Sunset, sunrise.
In the breaking of the tides…
She lulls us to the shore…
Whispering remembrances…
I hear her voice.
Photographs from Maafa: Remember, in honor of their ancestors.
Maafa, Kiswahili for great disaster or unimaginable horror, is a commemoration that takes place in many cities in the “New World.” It is a time for people of the African Diaspora to reflect upon and honor their ancestors that experienced the horror of the Middle Passage. For many, it is also a time to contemplate contemporary society and the lives of people of the Diaspora today. Many commemorations that take place on the coasts of the North and South American continents culminate in a Sunrise Ceremony, where people gather on the beach to greet the sun and the spirits of the ancestors.